Real Madrid

2009–13: World record transfer and La Liga championship

As his usual number 7 was unavailable, Ronaldo wore number 9 during his debut season at Madrid.
After Raúl departed the club, Ronaldo was handed the number 7 shirt before the 2010–11 season.

Ahead of the 2009–10 season, Ronaldo joined Real Madrid for a world record transfer
fee at the time, of £80 million (€94 million).[110] His contract, which ran until 2015, was worth
€11 million per year and contained a €1 billion buy-out clause.[111] At least 80,000 fans
attended his presentation at the Santiago Bernabéu, surpassing the 25-year record of
75,000 fans who had welcomed Diego Maradona at Napoli.[112] Since club
captain Raúl already wore the number 7 (the number Ronaldo wore at Manchester United),
Ronaldo received the number 9 shirt,[113] which was presented to him by former Madrid
player Alfredo Di Stéfano.[114]
Ronaldo made his debut in La Liga on 29 August 2009, against Deportivo La Coruña, and
scored from the penalty spot in Madrid's 3–2 home win. [115] He scored in each of his first four
league fixtures with the club, the first Madrid player to do so.[116] His first Champions League
goals for the club followed with two free kicks in the first group match against Zürich.[117] His
strong start to the season, however, was interrupted when he suffered an ankle injury in
October while on international duty, which kept him sidelined for seven weeks. [118][119] A week
after his return, he received his first red card in Spain in a match against Almería.
[120]
 Midway through the season, Ronaldo placed second in the running for the Ballon
d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award, behind Lionel Messi of Barcelona,
Madrid's historic rivals. He finished the campaign with 33 goals in all competitions,
including a hat-trick in a 4–1 win against Mallorca on 5 May 2010, his first in the Spanish
competition.[121][122] His first season at Real Madrid ended trophyless.[123]
Following Raúl's departure, Ronaldo was handed the number 7 shirt for Real Madrid before
the 2010–11 season.[124] His subsequent return to his Ballon d'Or-winning form was
epitomised when, for the first time in his career, he scored four goals in a single match
during a 6–1 rout against Racing Santander on 23 October.[125] His haul concluded a
goalscoring run of six consecutive matches (three in La Liga, one in the Champions
League, and two for Portugal) totalling 11 goals, the most he had scored in a single month.
Ronaldo subsequently scored further hat-tricks against Athletic Bilbao, Levante, Villarreal,
and Málaga.[126][127][128] Despite his performance, he did not make the podium for the
inaugural FIFA Ballon d'Or at the end of 2010.[129]